When election-denier Mike Lindell appeared on Newsmax Wednesday night to describe the FBI’s execution of a search warrant for his cell phone the day prior, host Eric Bolling seemed to not understand how such an event could take place, at one point flashing a pocket-sized Constitution to show his displeasure.
After the MyPillow CEO complained about how his phone is his livelihood, Bolling read out loud a portion of the FBI documents given to Lindell, which noted that the agency has undertaken an “‘official criminal investigation of a suspected felony.’”
“How can the FBI go [to] a private citizen who’s running a business off his phone? I just don’t get how…” he continued before trailing off and rephrasing his question. “There’s a difference between criminal and civil. Are they suggesting this is both civil and criminal?”
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“No, I think what they’re saying here – because it says my phone was subpoenaed – I think they want my phone to be a witness for other things that are going on in Colorado or other places where there’s evidence of this with these machines,” Lindell said. “And after talking to them, they said it had nothing to do with Jan. 6.”
The FBI’s seizure of the right-wing influencer’s phone is reportedly linked to the breach last year of voting machines in Mesa County, Colorado. County clerk Tina Peters has been charged with 10 criminal counts (including seven felonies) over the alleged breach.
Yet a few minutes later, Lindell seemed to not fully accept what the FBI did. “Why would you take a citizen’s phone?” he asked.
“I’m holding the Constitution,” Bolling replied confidently, wielding a pocket-sized version of the document. “The Fourth Amendment guards against illegal or unlawful searches and seizures. You may have a Fourth Amendment case against the FBI. I’m not sure what they’ll find on your phone, but for God’s sake.”
“They’re going to find nothing,” Lindell claimed, later adjusting his prediction to include “a lot of promo codes” for MyPillow products.
Similar to Lindell and Bolling’s gripes about how the FBI seizing the latter’s phone at a Hardee’s restaurant in the Midwest may present some sort of profound constitutional issue, former President Donald Trump reacted to the news by lamenting how “the majesty of the United States is gone.”
